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Erdogan Calls German Leaders ‘Enemies of Turkey’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Germany’s ruling politicians “enemies of Turkey” who deserve to be rejected by German-Turkish voters.

Germany will hold a general election on September 24, and about one million ethnic Turks living in Germany can vote. A majority of them backed Erdogan in an April referendum, BBC reported.

“The Christian Democrats [CDU], SPD [Social Democrats], the Green Party are all enemies of Turkey,” he said.

He has lashed out at Germany before.

Yet the two countries are major trade partners and allies in Nato.

He was furious that the German government refused to let some of his allies campaign for him in Germany before the April vote, which paved the way for him to get sweeping new executive powers. That refusal, he said, was “Nazi-style” behavior.

Tensions increased after the abortive coup attempt against Erdogan in July 2016, in which at least 240 people died.

President Erdogan blamed the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen over the coup plot, and accused Germany of protecting Gulenists. The cleric denied any role in the plot.

More than 50,000 people have been arrested in Turkey since the coup plot, including hundreds of journalists, opposition politicians, academics and activists.

Erdogan’s ruling AK Party has also purged the armed forces, judiciary, police and education sector, sacking more than 140,000 people.